For the final free evening before show week began I buttered up treated my wife to an evening out at the revamped (at last!) space where the Gilbert Scott used to be. Being the location of many a memorable day and evening (sometimes both – for example for my graduation celebration) any new crew was going to find it hard to live up to Marcus Wareing and chums’ efforts of yesteryear.

Time spent in the bar was encouraging. The decor and atmosphere feels largely unchanged and I took a table among fellow sophisticates and perused the satisfyingly extensive drinks offer. An order of a Campari Soda got an approving nod from the server and I lounged like a lizard while waiting for Denize to show up.

On her arrival we went in to eat, and again, things had moved around a bit but not radically. One thing that had changed was the furniture. You can be certain to have plenty of space away from your fellow diners at MGDR because the chairs are MASSIVE. They put me in mind of one of those 70s ashtrays that were made of lumps of rock with a fissure in the centre to collect your fag ash. The kind of ashtray that you might see a string-vested drunkard hurl at a brown pub wall on a hot Bank Holiday evening after a day on the Hofmeister. Except the chairs were bigger than that. And heavier.

Not only were the chairs BIG and HEAVY. (In fact they were impossible to move when sat in them and in order to get nearer to the table we both got back up and pushed them in a bit.) They were also ANGRY. Our spare chair loured at us through the whole meal, his eyebrows knitted in an implacable stare of hatred that lesser souls would have found unnerving. I stared back implacably, daring it to come at me, safe in the knowledge that with such a low centre of gravity he had no chance of shifting his massive weight.

Then I turned to the menu. The menu is relatively brief (a good thing) and cheap too if you’re going for the prix fixe (£36 for three courses if memory serves). I had a potato and leek soup up front that was utterly delicious. Bread cost extra, but I didn’t mind that, it was good bread. A main of hake was also very good and unusually for a high end London restaurant actually came with some stodgy. On the side we had seasonal greens, which turned out to be runner beans. Economising on the food meant I splashed out a little more for a very good Macon for about £60 but they have cheaper.

The service was excellent and the room soon pretty full with sophisticated locals like ourselves and a smattering of mildly irritating blingy tourists. I can’t remember the music so it can’t have been too disturbing.

I’d probably go back if I was in the area but I suspect the Midland won’t become our go to treat place as the Gilbert Scott was. The food is good without having that extra zing that GS had and I’d say the same of the service.

7/10

To see where else I’ve been click on the google map below.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=18qCyiPZih_gzhGG8mwfacnNRWD3b0bo&ehbc=2E312F

Food London Restaurants London restaurants st pancras